St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-03
THE SENATE.
After Some Preiiminaries Et Takes
up the naval Appropriation Bill.

Gen. Miles, was received from the secretary
of war. Bills reported favorably and placed
on the calendar were: To create naval
reserve of auxiliary cruisers, officers and
men from the mercantile marine; author.
iZing Winona, Mimi, to construct a bridge
across part of the Mississippi river to an
island therein. Mr.. Aldrich, from the
committee on finance, reported a resolution
authorizing that committee to continue dur
ing the recess the investigation into the un-
LIBERALIZATION of imported merchandise
Adopted. The resolution offered yesterday
by Mr.. Hoar. authorizing the committee on
privileges and elections to continue during
the recess the Texas investigation, was
adopted. Mr.. Platt, from the committee
ON territories, reported the senate bill to
validate and cure defects in certain acts of
the legislature of Washington territory.
Passed. The senate then proceeded to its
consideration of the
NAVAL AUTHORIZATION BILL.
An amendment was inserted in the item
for the bureau of steam engineering prOvid-
ing that no part of the appropriation shall be
applied to the repair Of the engines and ma
chinery of wooden ships where the estimated
cost of repairs shall exceed 20 per cent. of
the cost of new engines and machinery of
the same character and power under the
head of Increase Of the Navy" The COM
mlttee recommends striking ont the house
provision for two swift double bottomed
steel cruisers and for four gunboats. all to
cost, exclusive of armament. not more than
81, $50, 900, and the Substitution of two
new sections providing for six protected
steel cruisers with speed of not less than
twenty knots, to COST exclusive of arma
fho,,
priating that amount; also appropriating
for the armament OF such vessels So. $50, :
600; also appropriatiug Sc, 900, 600 for
heavily amored vessels or floating bat
teries or rams for coast and har-
Dor defenses; also appropriating $720. 900
for light draught gunhoats; also appropri-
ating $600.00 for torpedo boats and $780,
O0e for torpedoes, and 81, 800, 600 for the
arinaments of those vessels. Mr.. Gray
questioned the policy of the provision, ,te-,
Quiring one of the six steel cruisers to be
built on or near the coast of the Pacific
ocean and two of them Oh OF near the coast
of the Gulf of Mexico. This was only
trammelling the secretary Of the navy and
interfering with the general objects pro-
posed. He was in favor of the accomplish
ment of what the section proposed, namely,
the creation of six swift, available and ef-
ficient cruisers. and therefore he moved to
strike out that provision. MIR. Hale (whO
has charge of the bilD stated that when the
ten cruisers bill was up some weeks ago a
similar provision had been adopted. after
full discussion. on the motion of the SEN
ator from Alabama (Mr. Morgan.) de had
believed then, and believes now, that one
or two of these vessels could be built, and
BE BUILT SPEEDILY,
on the Pacific coast. The committee on
appropriations had embodied those features
in this amendment, taking proportionate
number las the whole number had been cut
DOWN and, instead of giving two to the
Pacific coast, had given one, and, instead
of giving three to the Gulf of Mexico. had
giyin two. leaving three to the Atlantic
coast. Mr. Gray modified his motion so as
to make the clause read that if it shall ap-
pear to the president that vessels cannot be
constructed at a fair price on the Pacific or
Gulf coasts he ''may consider and accept
bids for building said vessels at other
places" instead of suspending their con-
struction until the further action of con-
gress). Mr.. MaXey said that there should
be at least one great navy yard constructed
live oak and long leaved pine were at hand.
The question was then taken on Mr..
Gray's amendment as unadopted and it was
rejected. Mr.. Plumb moved to strike out
the item of $6,OOO,000 FOR heavily
armored vessels. or batteries or rams fol
coast defenses. He argued that it was not
possible to make armOred vessels that would
keep up lin power of resistance) with the
increase in the power of projectles; in
other words, that the power of Offense was
greater than the power of defense. He
| was quite sure that if the bill were te
be accompanied with provision for a tax
| to pay the expenditure, the expenditure
would not be made. 1t was to some extent
| the concomitant of a large surplus in the
| treasury. He was not in favor of putting
the screw upon the house of representatives,
now talked of as disorganized mob which
had no conviction on this or on any Other
subject. and whose only idea was to avoit
an extra session of congress. 1t was crue
to impose this provision upon them and te
| put them under
A CERTAIN CoMPULsION
| to take it, under the penalty of an extra
session if they refused it. He was opposed
to taking advantage of the PROSTATE condi
ton of the house of representatives, no
| half of whose members had been elected tt
the next congress, and nearly all of whom
were Q6SlTOuS W Stb OuG Ol washington q
the earliest possible moment, without any
regard to the public interests, which public
interests they had wholly neglected durina
the present session. He spoke of the New
York chamber of commerce as beine
brought into this agitation as tender tt
private speculation. AS evidence of this he
called attention to the fact that every mem
Der of congress had received "a circular
calling ON congress to provide means
for coast defense. The only vitalit,
which that body had was suci
as was communicated to it by
some persons who desired to speculate OF
its responsibility. The great body of the
American people was not disturbed by al
the efforts to convince them of the danger.
menacing their peace. They were as placit
as pan of milk. They were going abou
their ordinary ayocatlons without any feal
of war at home or abroad, and while they
were desirous that reasonable measure.
should be adopted for national defense, they
did not look upon this time as one of emer
gency or one in which anything unusua
should be done. They would be mucl
better pleased if congress would take thu
tariff duty off lumber and salt and (meas
urably) off sugar and other necessaries O
| life. Referring to the failure of the con
| erence on
| THE FORTIFICAToIN BILL,
1 ha cOm meDtfd m fha fact tho r tho ,oo,nbar